They Went That-a-Way - Part 6

As the highway begins to wind northward, you should run into a little farm on a hilltop called Wolfhorn Ranch. Explore this locale if you'd like, but at the very least add it to your map for later reference. Northward from there, you should run into Ranger Station Charlie, which is controlled by the NRC. This marks a little more than the halfway point between the Ranch and Novac itself. As you continue north from the station, you'll eventually spot a settlement in the distance ahead, with its telltale gigantic dinosaur statue sticking out on the horizon like a sore thumb. Head towards it to continue with the task at hand.

Novac is a pretty extensive settlement, not unlike a couple of others you've already explored in the game. While there are a couple of primary tasks you'll want to undertake here, there are still a bunch of ancillary people to speak with as well. It's important to do the latter, because some of these conversations will open up both standard side quests, as well as note-based side quests for you to undertake now or later. For instance, a doctor and her mercenaries should be occupying a tent near the entrance to town (she will heal you, sell you curative items, et cetera). You may even find an elderly woman named Daisy Whitman walking around. Apparently, she was a Virtabird pilot back in the day.

One home in particular you should try to seek out is the house of McBride residence. Within, you'll find a happily married couple named Alice and Dusty. You can speak to Alice fairly extensively about Novac. It appears that this locale has the potential to go from sleepy to boomtown pretty soon, due to increased activity in the area. Be extra certain that you speak to Dusty extensively, and offer to hear him out about a problem he's having. His farm animals near the house are being picked off, one after another, each evening. Perhaps you can stake out his farm and help him out? This is a note-based Side Quest known as Midnight Ranch Attacks , and more information on it can be found on it in the Side Quests section of this guide.

Alright, so enough balking. You know you're attracted to that gigantic dinosaur statue on the far side of town. Head towards it now. The chain link fence that surrounds it also surrounds a motor inn that you'll want to explore. Before you do any of that, though, be sure to head into the motel's office, where you'll find a homely woman named Jeannie May Crawford. Jeannie May is the proprietor of the inn, and she'll be full of random information when you speak with her. She'll even offer to give you your own room at the inn with some permanence, for the fairly steep price of 100 Bottle Caps (or free if you've completed Midnight Ranch Attacks). But ultimately, when you're done speaking with her, you should move on to explore some of the random rooms of the inn.